We're Sailing To Galapagos: A Week In The Pacific

by Laurie Krebs, Grazia Restelli (Illustrator)

Tour the Galapagos Islands in a red-sailed boat and encounter many exotic land and sea animals, like giant tortoises, albatrosses, iguanas, lava crabs and booby birds! This rhyming story, which also teaches the days of the week, also includes fascinating facts on Charles Darwin, the Islands and the animals that live there.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Geography, Nature, Animals, Nonfiction, Science

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 3, 2005

About the author

Laurie Krebs combines her love of children's literature with her enthusiasm for traveling, to create her wonderful picture books that bring readers all around the world. She lives in Virginia with her husband, Bill.

Reviews

[Leah]

This is a fun rhyming picture book that has an island twist on the beloved book Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Eric Carle. I like that there is a brief bit of information and history about the Galápagos Islands and the animals that inhabit them at the back of the book as well. This was a perfect pick to kick off our unity study about Ecuador!

[Rory Scott Douglas]

The rhyme and repetition used in this paperback make it stand out in a very charming way. The book lends itself to being turned into a song and I can see it quickly becoming a firm favourite of any child who is introduced to it.

The book follows two young explorers and their adventure around the unique Galapagos islands. With a rhyming song they see such a range of birds, turtles, crustaceans and sea life that it is hard to believe they all exist in one place. For older readers (and the benefit of us who aren't Attenborough!) there is a glossary of animals and biographies of both the Galapagos themselves and the great Charles Darwin.

I would recommend this book to both KS1 and KS2 readers, although the way in which you would read it would obviously differ. The songs are great for sparking interest in younger minds with the further sections great for those wanting to delve a little deeper into a truly remarkable natural phenomenon.

[Patty]

Fun rhyming text introducing animals that live in the Galapagos Islands.
Illustrations are vibrant collages with tons of energy. Extensive information
about the islands and the animals in the back.

[Readersaurus]

Krebs and Restelli introduce the Galapagos islands to young readers with gorgeous cut paper collage and catchy rhyme. A repeated refrain will encourage little ones to chant along, and the details on every page will prompt them to ask questions and maybe even play a little 'I spy.' Each page is a different day in the Galapagos, so the book doubles as reinforcement for learning the names of the days of the week. Also on every page are animals not mentioned in the text, and there is a section in the back that identifies them and tells a little about how they live and have adapted to life on the islands. There are two longer text pieces, on the geological development of the islands themselves, and on Charles Darwin's thoughts about them, that are handy for parents who want to be able to answer questions, or older picture book readers interested in learning more.

[Jessa McCauley]

Laurie Krebs’ “We All Went on Safari” is one of my favorite children’s picture books. Unfortunately, Galapagos did not come to that. I didn’t care for the illustration style and the rhymes didn’t flow as smoothly, possibly because of their layout on the page. I did appreciate the subject matter, an introduction to the fauna of these unique islands. I would have liked additional text on each page regarding the animals versus big blocks of supplementary text in the back. The repeating lines about sailing to Galapagos didn’t do anything for me, but the kids enjoyed them and started saying them along with me after a couple repetitions.

[Library Lady Terri]

There are so many great things going on in this book. First we visit a place most of us will never be able to visit which is in and of itself amazing. Next the rhythm of the book is one we know from other books so it lends it self to being sung very easily which makes the book in my opinion more enriching. Third the collage illustrations definitely give the book a 3D look and I feel like I am on the Galapagos islands with the visitors. Finally I enjoyed all of the extra information at the end of the book.

[Meredith]

The Duotrain poem on each page never felt forced, the cut-paper illustrations were full of wonderful detail, and the back matter was wonderful! An excellent addition to our study of the Galápagos Islands!

[Erin Rhyne]

Super cute. Great for toddlers & preschoolers, but my 7 year old loves it as well. Introduces some of the animals on the Galápagos Islands with beautiful collage illustrations. It has lots of rhyme and repetition.

[Catherine Woodman]

I loved this picture book about the wild life in the Galapagos, with wonderful illustrations, and a lot of factually correct information about the islands and what makes them important. This is available on Hoopla as well.

[Tom Evans]

A fun book introducing kids to a unique ecosystem. Could easily build a biology/ geography cross cirricular project from it.

[Amy Aldridge]

Lovely book using rhyming to tell the story of a fascinating island!

[Charlotte]

Wonderful! I hope I see all these critters, but I'm especially excited about the doves, the crabs, and all manner of boobies. :-)

[Dorothy Carder]

This was a very fun and easy book to read, although I felt it was too short to really capture what the Galapagos Islands are. Each page contained minimal information of each animal on the islands and only seven were mentioned. At the end of the book, the author does go into more detail of each animal and then some more. At the end of each page, there is a cute sing-songy verse to read aloud with students that leads you to the next page. The book also mentions the most famous person associated with the islands is Charles Darwin, so I would be cautious of reading this book to students in case some parents are uncomfortable with his teachings (although the book does not go into too much detail of his beliefs).

[Erin Walker]

We're Sailing to Galapagos by: Laurie Krebs (2005)
-Concept & Informational

We're Sailing to Galapagos is a picture book about two kids going to the Galapagos for the week. Each day they spot another animal. The author has an excellent rhythm and the illustrations are extremely colorful.

Themes: travel, animals

Teaching Options: This would be a great resource when teaching about Darwin and the Galapagos. There is a nonfiction section in the back of the book that gives factual information about Charles Darwin and the animals introuced in the main text.

[Jessica]

There are really nice illustrations in this book (collages) which show bright colors and texture. It is difficult to tell which line to read first because the lines are all over the page, but it is creatively done and you can figure out which order to read first. It is a good reference for children to look at for information on exotic animals in the Galapagos Islands.

[Megan]

Great cut out art. Both simple text for young readers, and complex afterword. Consider using with adjectives.

[Ta'Mera]

This rhyming story teaches facts about Charles Darwin, the Islands and the animals that live there. It also helps teach the days of the week.

[Lindsay]

vacation, islands, far away, animals, beaches, boats, water

[N]

Featuring the blue-footed boobie bird!

[Sarah]

Gorgeous illustrations. It appeals to both my 4 year old and 10 month old. The repeated chorus just begs to be sung and the exotic animals are fascinating to little ones.

[Magila]

Didn't care for the repetitive piece, liked the rest of it. Love this style of art.

[Inara]

From Inara's mom: Great animal facts cleverly written in child-friendly rhymes entertain any age. Creative illustrations and extra info at the back.

[Karen]

This book was lovely with its bright, vibrant illustrations. And it was almost impossible not to sign the text. Oh, all right, I'll admit -- I sang the text.